City of Spokane wants feedback on snow response

SPOKANE, Wash. – After a very harsh winter, followed by multiple complaints, the City of Spokane is seeking feedback from citizens on how to improve its response to snow.

The mayor, city council and street department plan to use the information to identify changes to better meet the needs of residents during winter weather.

“We are reviewing best practices from other cities, evaluating our equipment, and considering staffing needs to refine our approach to address the citizens’ most important priorities,” said Street Director Gary Kaesemeyer.

City leaders said over the past winter they have completed three full city plows as a response to the wettest winter on record. They are aware that people have expressed their concerns about how the city managed the snow on streets and sidewalks. Some people were displeased with the berms deposited at the end of driveways and others were upset with how long it took to complete a full city plow.

City leaders have compiled the citizen concerns and is asking citizens to define how important each issues is to them as part of an online survey. It will be available for the next two weeks until April 25. Officials said the results will help define which changes will be prioritized for implementation next winter.